Yuan Qi smiled. This person carries good karma and is not a gambler obsessed with gambling. It would be better to help him if possible.
"Don't worry about that. Your wife has already given birth to a son."
The man beamed and immediately knelt down, kowtowing to Yuan Qi: "To tell you the truth, my wife's health isn't good; she's almost lost the baby several times. The doctor said she needs to take medicine to prevent miscarriage, but I don't have enough money. So I thought I'd try my luck at the gambling den. If I win, I can get more medicine for my wife so she can have a safe delivery. Young Taoist priest, is my wife safe? Do I really have a good son?"
Yuan Qi took out a talisman and handed it to the man: "You'll understand later. This is a talisman. Take it. Work hard and earn money from now on, and don't gamble anymore."
The man left, thanking him profusely.
A gray-haired man eating noodles at Zhang Liu's noodle stall kept looking this way.
After finishing his noodles and paying Zhang Liu, he walked over to Yuan Qi.
His temples were graying, and he looked to be in his forties or fifties. He was dressed in a white long robe, clearly a candidate for this year's imperial examination. He had been observing the man's actions earlier, and since Yuan Qi was right, he wanted to have his fortune told as well.
"Young lady, do you think I can pass?" The man took out a silver ingot and placed it in front of Yuan Qi. "My name is Fan Tong, I'm from Heyang. I passed the imperial examination at the age of nineteen. My whole family thought I was a good student and told me to focus on my studies. I passed all the exams..."
He counted on his fingers: "Thirty years, young lady, do you think I'll pass the imperial examination this year?"
Yuan Qi shook his head: "Your official career palace is not prosperous. It is already a blessing from your ancestors that you were able to pass the imperial examination. You have good fortune in wealth. If you settle down and do business, you will definitely be able to amass wealth from all over the world."
Fan Tong chuckled, not feeling much regret, but rather an unprecedented sense of relief. He had been taking the exam for thirty years and didn't want to take it again, but he was still unwilling to give up and was always conflicted: "You're right. I've always had good fortune since I was a child. When I grew up, went to school, and traveled, I always managed to earn money even when I ran out. Even when I went to a gambling den, I won money nine times out of ten."
Now he has a son and a daughter, and his family has no worries about food and drink. His children are also filial. His only regret is that he has failed the imperial examinations repeatedly.
Seeing that the man was not upset by her words, Yuan Qi smiled slightly, displaying the demeanor of a master: "Your family is well-off, with many children and grandchildren, and your life is fulfilling. If you can make good use of your wealth and do more charity, perhaps some of your descendants will be able to take the imperial examinations."
Fan Tong smiled broadly: "The young Taoist priest is absolutely right. I have a grandson who is eleven years old this year. He passed the imperial examination last year and became a scholar. The teacher said that he is a good student and asked me to find him a good academy to study at."
"The results are out! The results are out!" A crowd surged on Zhuque Street as students who had been waiting to see the results rushed over there.
Fan Tong stood up: "I'll go take a look too. Although I failed the exam, I still have to see it before I can give up. With your words today, young Taoist priest, I will no longer be obsessed with this matter. Thank you, young Taoist priest."
Before leaving, Yuan Qi gave him a good luck charm.
A horse-drawn carriage with a green canopy stopped in front of Yuan Qi's fortune-telling stall. A woman in her thirties got out of the carriage and frowned when she saw Yuan Qi.
Today is her sister's birthday, so the family just celebrated by themselves, and she went over.
Her older sister is the wife of the Fu family, living a comfortable life. Her children are all married, and even her daughter with a birthmark on her face has recently met a master who hopes to remove the birthmark.
My sister was so happy that she decided to celebrate her 39th birthday properly.
As the family chatted, she mentioned that her grandson had been crying all day and night since his first birthday celebration. Doctors and shamans had been consulted, but nothing had worked, and the little boy continued to cry.
Her sister, Madam Fu, introduced her to the young Taoist priest under the big locust tree on Tianshui Street.
She rushed over without even having lunch at her sister's house.
The older sister said that the elder was a bit young; she hadn't expected him to be so young.
"She's so small!" the woman hesitated, muttering to her maid, "Was that young master talking about her? How come she's so small?"
She sized up Yuan Qi, and Yuan Qi was also sizing her up. The woman was well-maintained; she looked like she was in her twenties even though she was only in her thirties. Judging from her clothes, she must be from a wealthy family. She also had a good face and was blessed with both a son and a daughter. However, her children's palace was somewhat gloomy, suggesting that her children might be involved in a lawsuit soon.
The maid looked around and said, "It should be her. There's only this little Taoist priest's fortune-telling stall around here. Let's go and give it a try. I don't think Young Master Feng is the type to lie or cheat."
The woman stepped forward and sat on the stool opposite Yuan Qi, asking tentatively, "Young Taoist priest, my grandson keeps crying, could you take a look?"
Yuan Qi noticed a faint aura of malevolence emanating from her, a tiny, extremely faint wisp, seemingly emanating from someone else.
"No problem, but this won't be the price of ten taels."
The woman readily agreed: "As long as you can resolve my family's problems, young Taoist priest, I'll pay any amount of silver. Come on, my family is at the other end of Zhuque Street, the Bai family."
The Bai family is one of the four great families of Rongguo, with many collateral branches. Who knows which Bai family she is referring to? Is it her grandmother's maternal family?
Yuan Qi quickly dismissed the idea, judging from the woman's attire, which didn't seem that wealthy, and guessed she was from a collateral branch of the Bai family.
"Young Taoist priest, get in the car with me."
Yuan Qi readily packed up his stall and got into the carriage with Madam Bai.
On the way, Madam Bai told Yuan Qi about the day her grandson had his first birthday celebration: "On the day of the celebration, we prepared many items: a copy of the Book of Songs, a scale, a silver ingot, a sword, a fine wolf-hair brush, an abacus, and so many things. The whole table was filled with them. My grandson looks like he's destined for a scholarly life. He grabbed the Book of Songs in one hand and the wolf-hair brush in the other. Don't you think he'll study hard and pursue an official career in the future?"
Yuan Qi remained noncommittal.
Madam Bai sighed, "Everyone is quite happy. This is my eldest grandson, and I think it's great too. But my grandson started crying shortly after his first birthday celebration. He cried so loudly that I couldn't soothe him no matter what I did. He's been crying for three days now, and his voice is hoarse, but he still can't stop. He only cries when he's awake and falls asleep from exhaustion."
“This grandson is my precious child. I quickly asked the servants to fetch a doctor, but the doctor said the child was not sick. So I consulted a shaman. The shaman was very mysterious and told us to find rice and water, put them by the child's bedside, and chant for a while. The child was quiet for a bit, but then started crying again. The shaman chanted again, but it didn't work anymore.”
Before long, they arrived at the Bai residence.
Madam Bai led Yuan Qi inside, and Yuan Qi immediately noticed something amiss with the Bai family.
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